To say that Antlerand’s Branches is an album of great depth would be a massive understatement. To put it more accurately, Branches - the first full length from the Portland band formerly known as Invisible - is an album of sonic layers and dreamy musical nuances that makes each number an unpredictable event. With an ability to switch gears mid-song from twitchy new wave to surreal prog pop, Antlerand is a band that is not afraid to take chances. For example, the opener “Rows of Unbending Lines� goes from a slow motion carnival rumination to a fiery progressive rocker without so much as a warning, while “Brighter Rats� begins as a gentle synth-fueled meditation and later builds into a muscular post-punk stomp. Aside from the ability to switch things up, Antlerand is also capable of great focus; “Maybe We’re Still Running� is a heartfelt duet and “Far Too Clean� is a sweeping number that finds singer Chris Larson’s honeyed Lou Reed delivery buoyed by gorgeous background vocals. Elsewhere, “Not The Next Anything� begins and ends with a piano accompanied by the sound of falling rain and plays out like a mini-pop symphony. “Make Nothing Happen� has a catchy little stutter step and “Now It’s A Year,� which features Janet Weiss from Sleater Kinney, is perhaps the album’s smoothest number. Branches is a complex album, but repeated listens reveal fathoms of wildly appealing musical complexity. Absolutely worth the work.
